Methob of excluding extbaheous fluids from wells



l. C. SWAN.

METHOD 0F EXCLUUING EXTRANEOUS FLUIDS FROM WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZ. 1919.

1,317,462. Patented sept. 30, 1919.

soL/o Hoc/vV mmewtoz JOHN' C. SWAN, 07F MARIETTA, OHIO.

METHOD OF EXCLUDING- EXTRANEOUS FLUIDS FROM WELLS. I

Larmes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3G, 1919.

Application iled July 2, 1919. Serial No. 308,173.

To all whom z't may concern: Be' it known that I, JOHN C. SWAN, a citil zen of the United States, residing at Mainsoluble in and substantially immiscible` with water but which will solidify when it ,in addition tothe purchase cost.

-rietta, inf the county of Washington and State 'of Qhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Excluding Extraneous Fluids from Wells, of which the following is a specification.

In the usual methods of drilling wells, particularly oil wells, it is the custom when a water-bearing stratum is encountered and drilled through, to insert into the bore a casingconsisting of a series of lengths of' connected steel or iron pipes of suitable diameter, this casing extending beneath the water-bearing stratum and thereby shutting oil'l the water from the bore. As successive waterbearilig strata are encountered, addi-r tional strings of casing are inserted. These successive strings extend one inside the other from the surface to a location below the water and the use of them necessitates the starting of the bore with a suiiicient diameter to permity the insertion of as many strings of 'casing as may be necessary.

Obviously, large quantities of steel and iron in the form of pipes, are used, and the cost of transportation to the location where the hole is being bored and the cost of labor for their installation is very large Further, the drilling of an initially large hole is neressitated, which adds to the-cost of the we l.

It is the object of this invention to obviate the necessity 'for using successive strings of 'casing and the necessity and-expense of large hole drilling and these objects l attain by4 sealing up the successive fluidbearing strata in the bore in a manner presently to be described.

In my prior Patent, No. 1,307,027, dated June 17th, 1919, I have described and claimed a method of sealing up these strata' which comprises forcing into the interstices thereof a hot liquid filling material which is cools to the natural temperature of the stratum, andthus form an effective barrier Y against the further entrance of water.

require.

,tubing 2.

certain reasons I prefer the method which will now =be described by way of illustration, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein the figure represents afsectional view of a well with a string of tubing and packer in place and showing the necessary connections.

ln the drawing, thev numeral 1 indicates the bore of the well, into which extends a string of steel or iron tubing 2. The upper portion 3 of the tubing is provided with a l`coupling 4, tothe stem-end 5 of. which is connected a pipev6 having a valve 7. The pipe 6'leads to a suitable source of fluid pressure, such ashot or cold water, steam, gas or air and a suitable source of supply of a viscous or colloidal liquid. A removable screw-plug 8 is located in the arm of the l, 4, opposite-that which connects the coupling to the pipe 2.

The various sections of the string of tubing 42 are joined by suitable couplingsleeves 11.

Aroundthe pipe 2 and between the pipe and the wall of the bore is inserted a suitable packer 12 of the construction commonly used in oil wells, or of any special construction which the. circumstances of use may As shown, the packer consists of a rubber tube compressed between flangecouplings-13, 14, the coupling 13 being secured to the pipe 2, while the coupling 14 rests upon a casing 15, the lower end of which is screwed onto a perforated pipe 1G which constitutes in eii'ect a continuation of There is thus provided a slipjointfor the pipe 2 whereby the weight of v the strin of tubing will compress the rubber of t e'packer and force it into {luidtight engagement with the pipe 2 and the` wall of the bore. The perforated pipe 16 is provided at its bottom with a screw-cap closure 17. ln operation, a suitable viscous li uid or colloid which is insoluble'in and su stantially immiscible with water is introduced-through the pipe 6 into the pipe '2 under pressure ofthe water, either hydro- *well below the packer 12 and linally into the interstices of the porous stratum, forcing the water or other extraneous fluid back in the stratum away from the bore, the pressure being maintained for the necessary period of time.

The pressure required and the amount of filling liquid which it will be necessary to supply will depend largely on the character of the stratum being sealed and artly upon the consistency and viscosity ci) the filling liquid, so that these factors must be considered by the operator. The pressure required wlll, however, always be materially above that of the head of the filuid to be ex cluded from the well and While it may be that one hundred pounds above will be sufcient in' many cases, I consider a pressure of substantially twice the pressure upon the Huid being excluded to be a safe or ample working-pressure in the great majority of operations. n Y

The regulation of the supply of the fiuid and of the pressure can easily be determined' by the operator with a little practice.

vAny of anumber of viscous or colloidal liquids may be enriployed. Rosin dissolved in an oilyl medium such as linseed oil or rosin oil or in any other suitable solvent, in such proportions as to produce a viscous body, is quite suitable.

Coal-tar pitch dissolvedA in a su-itablesolvent, to produce a body which is a viscous liquid at the natural temperature of the stratum," may be used. The same is true of asphalt. v l y Obviously, other methods than the one described may be employed for introducing the viscous liquid into the interstices. For

, instance, where the liquid filler is heavier than water, a suilcient quantity may be dumped directly into the bottom of the bore from what are known as bailers, and pressure applied above the supernatant water. The liquid must in this case be used in such quantity that it will be raised a suitable distance above the top of thelporous stratum.

While I have described my present invention as especially applicable tothe exclusion of water from oil-wells, it is to be under: stood that I do-not thereby intend to limit myself thereto. For instance, the method is applicable to the sealing of gas-producing sands against the passage of natural gas into a Well or shaft.

1,'The method of excluding extraneous fluids from wells, which consistsin introducing into the interstices of the fluid-bearing stratum in the vicinity of the well, under pressure, a liquid viscous at the natural temperature of the stratum.

2. The method. of excluding extraneous fiuids from Wells, which consists in introducing into the interstices of the Huid-bearing stratum in the vicinity of the Well, a liquid which is viscous at the natural tem perature of'the stratum, under a pressure considerably above that of the extraneous fluid. l

3. The method of excluding water from drilled oil-wells, which consists in yintroducing into the interstices of the water-bearing stratum in the vicinity of the well a Water? fluid, and maintaining such pressure until l the resistance to the flow of the extraneous fluid through such interstices is sufficient to withstand permanently the pressure on said -extraneous Huid.

5. The method of excluding water from drilled. and drilling oil-Wells, which consists in introducing intoV the interstieesof the water-bearing stratum in the vicinity of the Well a water-insoluble and water-immiscible liquid which is viscous at the natural temperature ofthe stratum, under a pressure' considerably above the h drostatic pressure of the water, and maintaining such pressure until the resistance to the flow of the water through such interstices is suicient to Withstand permanently the hydrostatic pressure of the water. i

6. The method of excluding water from drilled and drilling oil-wells, which consists 4 in introducing into the'jinterstices of the water-bearing stratum infthe vicinityyof the well a solution of rosin which is viscous at the natural temperature of the stratum, under a pressure considerablyabove the hydrostatic pressure of the Water to be excluded. In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' JOHN C. SWAN. 

